Good News

In this International Year of Sustainable Energy, every bit of good news is welcome. Renewable energy investments in India increased by more than 52 percent in 2011, the fastest growth among major global economies, according to a new report.

More than $10.3 billion was invested in renewable energy projects in India last year, with about $4.6 billion targeting wind energy projects and another $4.2 billion going toward solar projects, the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) report said. For solar, that represented a seven-fold increase from 2010, when investments totaled about $600 million.

According to the BNEF report, India is likely to exceed its target of adding 12.4 gigawatts of grid-connected renewable energy as set out in its current five-year plan, which ends next month.

But when it comes to new wind power China far and away leads the world. China's wind power push nearly tripled that of the United States, which installed the second-greatest amount. New figures from the Global Wind Energy Council show that China installed 18 gigawatts of new wind power in 2011, bringing its national total to 62.73 GW, a world-leading 26.4% of all our wind power.

Finally, there is news that wind and solar power were responsible for 68% of new European Union (EU) power installations in 2011 and renewable power as a whole was responsible for about 70%.

We are headed in the right direction though the destination is far beyond the horizon. Some cheer.